Italian for Opera Singers School

Patricia's Italian for Opera Singers' School in conjunction with Patricia's Opera Tours

As the former Manager of an opera company I was very aware of the great need for opera singers to know the Italian language.

My Italian for Opera Singers' School is an introduction to all this.

I have discussed my plans for my Italian for opera singers' school with many foremost New Zealand opera singers and teachers and they commend what I am trying to achieve. "An invaluable lifetime experience, " said Dame Malvina Major.

For one week of Patricia’s Opera Tour we stay in a large and very beautiful 18th century Tuscan Villa et among vineyards and olive groves in the Chianti Hills.

Our maestro is Dr Wyn Davies, distinguished British conductor and vocal coach. An Italian speaker, he has a vast knowledge of Italian opera and productions and with his Welsh wit and charming manner, we are all in for a great treat.

The Concert in the Villa, prepared by our artists, is a delightful programme of arias, duets and ensembles sung in Italian. An evening to foster New Zealand and Italian friendship, the Concert is followed by aperitivo and buffet dinner.

Preparations are the same as for any performance. I assign tasks of front of house manager, stage manager, props manager etc to the tour participants, – i.e. getting the flowers, placing the chairs, welcoming the guests, talking to the chef for dinner and making wine arrangements. We have lots of fun in the most beautiful surroundings imaginable!

Our 50 guests include friends, opera and contacts in Italy and it is a great opportunity for our singers and tour participants to meet guests and talk music and life in Tuscany.

During the week Wyn gives talks on Italian opera and the operas we will be attending.

Experts give talks on Italian Renaissance art especially 15th century artist Piero della Francesca whose paintings we visit in nearby Arezzo.

We visit the homes, theatres and towns of Puccini and Verdi placing them in the context of their times and history, essential for interpreting the roles and the music.

Anna Leese, winner of the Mobil Song Quest 2002 and McDonalds Aria Sydney 2003, now at the Royal College of Music, London.

“I can’t imagine a more perfect location to stay in than the villa you have chosen in Tuscany which was so idyllic and peaceful, so Italianate and the perfect study atmosphere. I feel absolutely enriched by the Italian experience I have had with you and your tour group and I will be singing many praises of the experience to all the singers I know! Every student who is serious about a career in singing outside of New Zealand should visit Italy and I am just so glad I have been fortunate enough to have had this introduction.”

Andrea Creighton, winner of the Mobil Song Quest 1996 and resident in Paris:

“ I thoroughly enjoyed my two week sojourn in Tuscany and Italy. The first week at the Villa was fantastic in terms of professional development and the second week when we toured around Italy visiting Verdi's birthplace, his house, Puccini's villa , and other places of cultural significance plus of course the opportunity to see and hear it all in practice at famous opera houses was a wonderful opportunity to tie everything together - hear the language spoken and immerse oneself in the Italian culture.

As a professional opera singer at the beginning of my career, the opportunity to work with someone of the calibre and experience of Wyn Davies was something that I did not want to pass up! Every day I had at least an hour coaching with Wyn - I was able to work on my role of Susanna in “The Marriage of Figaro” which was a fantastic preparation for me just before arriving in New Zealand to start rehearsals for New Zealand Opera..

The two hours of Italian lessons a day were priceless - I went from someone with absolutely no Italian - to someone who, after only 5 days of lessons, was able to hold a conversation in Italian and understand what I was singing about!

I am so thankful that Patricia invited me to her inaugural Opera School.”

Wyn and I are delighted with the progress of the artists in language and singing in Italian. We are all impressed by their dedication, energy and focus. When they need a break they can walk among the vineyards and olive groves or walk to the nearby village, the Romanesque church or up to the medieval tower.

ARTISTS 2002 Lauren Armishaw, Jack Bourke, Andrea Creighton, Chris Goldsmith.

ARTISTS 2003 Timua Brennan, Anna Leese, Andrea Munro

TOURISTS AND ARTISTS TOGETHER

This is a unique experience for opera lovers to be part of the artistic process and befriend talented young singers whose careers they will now follow closely. Each group learn enormously from the other.

For one week of Patricia's Opera Tours we stayed in a large and very beautiful 18th century Tuscan Villa which I had visited and considered ideal for what we wanted to achieve. It is set among vineyards and olive groves in the Chianti Hills.

Our maestro was Wyn Davies, British conductor, who had recently conducted New Zealand Opera's 'Falstaff'. An Italian speaker, he has a vast knowledge of Italian opera and productions and with his Welsh wit and charming manner, we were all in for a great treat.

The Concert in the Villa, prepared by our artists, was a delightful programme of arias, duets and ensembles sung in Italian, From Handel to Puccini via Mozart and Verdi.

Preparations were like putting on any performance. I assigned tasks of front of house manager, stage manager, props manager etc to the tour participants, - i.e. getting the flowers, placing the chairs, welcoming the guests, talking to the chef for dinner and making wine arrangements. We had lots of fun in the most beautiful surroundings imaginable!

Andrea Creighton, winner of the Mobil Song Quest in 1996 and resident in Paris:

" I thoroughly enjoyed my two week sojourn in Tuscany and Italy. The first week at Villa Petrolo was fantastic in terms of professional development and the second week when we toured around Italy visiting Verdi's birthplace, his house, Puccini's villa , and other places of cultural significance plus of course the opportunity to see and hear it all in practice at famous opera houses was a wonderful opportunity to tie everything together - hear the language spoken and immerse oneself in the Italian culture.

As a professional opera singer at the beginning of my career, the opportunity to work with someone of the calibre and experience of Wyn Davies was something that I did not want to pass up! Every day I had at least an hour coaching with Wyn - I was able to work on my role of Susanna in "The Marriage of Figaro" which was a fantastic preparation for me just before arriving in New Zealand to start rehearsals.

The two hours of Italian lessons a day were priceless - I went from someone with absolutely no Italian - to someone who, after only 5 days of lessons, was able to hold a conversation in Italian and understand what I was singing about!

I am so thankful that Patricia invited me to her inaugural Opera School."

Jack Bourke, tenor from Auckland, prepared for his role as Ferrando in Canterbury Opera's 'Cosi fan Tutte' in October 2002 under the baton of Sir Richard Bonynge.

Other singers were Chris Goldsmith from Auckland and Lauren Armishaw from Wellington who after finishing her studies at Victoria University was living in Rome.

Wyn and I were delighted with the progress of the artists. All said they benefited greatly and are hugely grateful for the opportunity.

We were all impressed by their dedication, energy and focus. When they needed a break they could walk among the vineyards and olive groves or walk to the nearby village, the Romanesque church or the medieval tower on a nearby hillside.

This is a unique experience for opera lovers to be part of the artistic process and befriend talented young singers. The tour participants were delighted with the opportunity and will now follow closely the singers' careers. Each group learned enormously from the other.

English speaking SINGERS AND SINGING TEACHERS joined us for two weeks to learn Italian for opera singers and to be coached by Wyn Davies, distinguished British conductor, for a performance in a Concert in Villa Petrolo in Tuscany on 9 May 2003 and for any future roles.

Fee including all expenses:

Mail: Patricia's Opera Tours, Hannah's Factory, 23/14 Leeds St, Wellington, New Zealand
Telephone: 64-4-3849745 --- Mobile: 64-(0)21-475775 --- Email: patricia.hurley@xtra.co.nz

	A week in the heart of Tuscany in 18th century Villa Petrolo near Arezzo.
	Language lessons each day with top Italian teacher coaching with Wyn Davies, (conductor of New Zealand Opera's Falstaff in 2001)
	Performance in the Concert in the Villa on 9 May, with guests
	Visit Puccini's town of Lucca and his villa at Torre del Lago
	An introduction to Italian art and culture

Fee including all expenses: